


The Call

by Ruth_Oakenshield



Category: Richard Armitage - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruth_Oakenshield/pseuds/Ruth_Oakenshield
Summary: Y/n works as part of a film crew for a movie as a set dresser / props handler. She gets a call that turns her life upside down. How will it affect this job and her world?Richard is an actor in the film and from day one of filming, noticed y/n who is a set dresser / props handler. She catches his attention because she doesn't act like most of the women working on set. She doesn't get all agitated and goofy around the big name actors working on the set. She practically ignores them unless they come and talk to her or she is instructed to interact with them. Richard is fascinated by her and struggles to work up the courage to ask her out... Until she gets the phone call that makes her legs buckle under her and she crumples to the floor while re-dressing the set.What was the Call about that she received? Will Richard ever get the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend? Can they work things out and set her world back on it's feet?  Read on and find out.
Relationships: Boss - Relationship, Co-workers - Relationship, Dating - Relationship, Family - Relationship, Friendship - Relationship
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n works as part of a film crew for a movie as a set dresser / props handler. She gets a call that turns her life upside down. How will it affect this job and her world?
> 
> Richard is an actor in the film and from day one of filming, noticed y/n who is a set dresser / props handler. She catches his attention because she doesn't act like most of the women working on set. She doesn't get all agitated and goofy around the big name actors working on the set. She practically ignores them unless they come and talk to her or she is instructed to interact with them. Richard is fascinated by her and struggles to work up the courage to ask her out... Until she gets the phone call that makes her legs buckle under her and she crumples to the floor while re-dressing the set. 
> 
> What was the Call about that she received? Will Richard ever get the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend? Can they work things out and set her world back on it's feet? Read on and find out.

Warning: mention of death by car accident

\-----------------------------------------------

You’ve been working as a stage hand on this movie for close to four months now. Every day helping get the sets ready for the actors and actresses. Every day they show up, do their roles and then leave you to clean up when they are finished. Today is no different. 

You have gotten to know some of them quite well. Lately you feel eyes watching you. Not in a creepy sense, but it still bugs you cuz you can’t figure out who it is. Whenever you turn to look, the people you see are all talking to each other.

It’s close to lunch time and the director calls cut for the lunch break. People start gathering their stuff and you feel the eyes are watching you again. You feel your phone buzzing in your pocket. You pause in resetting the scene’s props to answer it. 

It’s your family’s lawyer. He tells you your parents have been killed in a car accident and that the police couldn’t find a way to contact you and got ahold of him. 

You stand there stunned. “www what?” You manage to stutter before feeling your legs start to give out from under you. You crumple to the floor still grasping the phone shocked. You hear your family’s attorney talking but you aren’t grasping anything. “I’m sorry, sir, can I call you back after work to discuss this?” You ask. He agrees, offers his apologies and hangs up.

You sit there stunned for a moment. The director and a couple of actors still in the studio see you collapse on the set and look at each other worriedly. They come up to you and squat down. “Y/n are you all right?” The director asks. You nod. “I’m sorry, I’ll be fine, gust give me a couple minutes.” You tell them trying to put on a brave face. You feel a large warm hand touch your face gently and brush away a tear running down your cheek, then it gently grasps your chin and tilts your head up. You open your eyes to see Richard’s sapphire blue eyes looking at you worriedly. 

“Y/n are you sure you’re all right? What made your knees buckle like that?” He asks. You feel your face get red. “It’s nothing. Just got a call from someone I was not expecting. I will be fine. Please excuse me...” you say as you move to stand. Richard takes your hand and helps you up. “...I need to get this set redressed so it’s ready after lunch so you can begin filming again.” You say.

The director & the two actors look at each other and shrug. They move off to the side and watch you for a bit. Then they head off into the dark and you hear a door open and close. 

You think you’re alone, but you get the feeling that you are being watched. You just shake it off and do your job. Occasionally wiping tears from your eyes as you think about the news you just recieved. 

“They’re gone. You were supposed to meet them for your birthday in two weeks. Now you’ll be burying them instead. You hold it together and get the set redressed. Then you sit on one of the chairs off to the side and pull up the last family photo you took of them with you on your phone. You look at it for a while and let tears slide down your cheeks quietly. 

\----------

Richard watches you from the shadows by the wall like he has done for the past few months. He is fascinated with you. When you first came on set you didn’t act like the other ladies did. You didn’t fall all over the actors, eager to please. You practically ignored them. Only interacting with them if you were instructed to. 

He wondered if you were unimpressed or just reserved and shy. He watched over the first few months as you slowly accepted it when a couple of the female actors decided they wanted to be friends with you and started talking to you on a regular basis. They would drag you with to the bars and night clubs. His friends would drag him to them as well. He would watch you dance on the dance floor wishing he could work up the nerve to talk with you and ask you for a dance. 

Now he watched as you got a phone call, crumpled to the floor and sat there with a shocked look on your face. He felt your body trembling when he placed his hand on your back when they went to see if you were ok. You were obviously upset about something as a few tears had slid down your cheek unnoticed, which he wiped away. He wondered why you put on a brave face and said that it was nothing and that you were fine. 

He watched you as you redressed the stage. He saw your tears and you wiping them away. He wondered if you were going to eat lunch or not. When you sat down in the chair near where he stood, and pulled out your phone, he could see the screen. You were staring at a picture of you and an older couple. His eyes opened wide when he heard you whisper, “I’m gonna miss you Mom. You too Pa. I hope it was a quick death for you and that you two didn’t suffer.” As you sniffles back some more tears. 

Richard cleared his throat and stepped out from the shadow. “Um... I thought I’d hang around till you were done and see if you wanted some lunch. Shannon and Stacey said you’ve been skipping lunch and we were getting kinda worried. Especially with these long days. I hope I’m not interrupting something. You seemed pretty upset a little while ago.” He said as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

\-----

You startled and almost dropped the phone when you heard someone clearing their throat from somewhere close behind you. You were surprised when Richard stepped out of the shadows and asked if you were going to have lunch. Shannon and Stacey were both getting on your case about not eating enough. You knew they meant well, but you didn’t have the funds to be eating at the commissary all the time like they did. 

Richard came up to you and put his hand on your shoulder. You sighed and looked back at your phone. “That’s a good pic of you. Who’se the other two you’re with?” He asks quietly. “My parents.” You say sadly. He picks up on your sadness. “You sound sad, y/n what’s the matter?” he asks as he moves in front of you and squats down. 

You lower your gaze and your shoulders start to tremble. You try to not cry in front of him but he senses you’re upset. “Come here, Y/n. Let me get you something to eat and tell me what’s bothering you.” He says as he pulls you to stand and holds his arms open offering you a hug. You hesitate. “I’m not going to hurt you, darling. You’re obviously upset. I’m here, let me help. Even if it’s just to listen and lend a shoulder to cry on.” He says. You finally cave and let him hug you. “Come on, let me get you some lunch. What would you like?” He asks as he pulls out his phone and pulls up the local restaurants. 

You tell him you just want a sub from the local sub shop. He orders it online for delivery and puts his order in as well. He calls down to the gatehouse to let them know to let the delivery person in and tells him where to send the driver. 

Then he pulls you over to the sofa in the break lounge across the hall. He sits next to you and gives you some water to drink. He rubs your back as you sit hunched over your knees playing with the water bottle. You sigh and he leans forward.

“Y/n was the phone call you got before lunch what upset you?” He asked as he resumed rubbing your back absentmindedly. You nod. 

“It was my family’s lawyer.” You say quietly. “What did he say that upset you so?” Richard asks in his smooth baritone voice. His eyes studying you. 

“He called to inform me that both my parents were killed in a car accident today. I-I-I no longer have anyone to call family.” You say and feel tears burning your eyes again as you try to hold back the sobs. 

“Oh, Sweetheart, I’m SO sorry! Come here, it’s ok, let it out. You’ll feel better when you do.” He says as he pulls you against his chest and he wraps his arms around you, rocking a little to try to comfort you. He lets you cry and just holds you till you’ve calmed down. 

“I never thought I’d be having to bury my parents for my birthday...” you sniffle. He hands you another Kleenex from the box on the table. “When is your birthday?” He asks. “Two weeks from tomorrow.” You reply. “Do you mind me asking what number birthday this is?” You look up at him bashfully. “My 40th.” 

You say and see the shocked look on his face. You giggle as it’s the typical expression you get. Most people don’t believe you when you tell them your age. They always think you’re in your mid to late 20’s. 

“I’m sorry, did you say this is your 40th birthday coming up?!?” Richard asks totally surprised. You giggle and nod. “How old did you think I was?” You ask, now grinning. 

He laughs and holds his hands up. “Ohhh don’t you go asking me that. That’s such a loaded question!” He smirks. You chuckle, “Oh come on, I know by your reaction you thought I was younger than I am! So how old did you think I was? Trust me, you’re NOT going to insult me at all.” 

Richard eyes you warily. “Promise you won’t get mad at me?” He asks with his trademark raised eyebrow and half smirk. You giggle and nod. 

“I thought you were around 25 or so.” He says sheepishly, but laughs when you give him a huge grin. “Really?!?” You say then chuckle. “I guess you didn’t notice these then.” You say pointing at your patches of silvery white strands starting to frame your face. 

Richard looks again at your face, now noticing you have the silver strands. He reaches up and gently runs his fingers along them on one side. 

“Well, I guess I just thought they were colored that way on purpose. Shannon and Stacey couldn’t figure out how you keep the roots from showing!” He says with a chuckle. “So they are real, not colored?” He asks. 

You grin. “Oh, they’re all real and all natural. I earned each and every silver strand there, buddy!” You say proudly. He grins and caresses your face again. “They suit you much better than mine suit me!” He says with a twinkle in his eyes. You blush. “I rather like how yours look on you.” You say suddenly shy. 

He grins & suddenly his phone rings. He groans and picks it up. “Ah, food’s here. I’ll be right back. He tells you. He quickly answers the phone as he walks back into the set to get the food at the stage door. A few minutes later he comes back in with food and two bottles of water. 

“Here, Sweetheart. Have some lunch. How come you never join us when we take lunch? You always stay here.” He asks as the two of you eat your subs and potato chips. “Can’t afford it.” I’m barely making ends meat as it is right now.” You sigh. 

“Shit! Now I’m going to have to take bereavement and miss work to deal with the estate and funeral arrangements!” You suddenly realize and groan, rubbing your forehead. 

“Hey,” Richard says as he takes your hand. “It’s okay. We have a break coming up in a couple weeks for a holiday. It’ll be ok. You don’t have to have the funeral right away you know.” You look up at him confused. “I don’t?” You ask. He chuckles. “No, Sweetheart, you don’t. Do you need some help with all this? I helped my Dad and sister with Mom’s funeral arrangements. Would you like help with your parents’?” He asks as he gives your hand a gentle squeeze. 

You are speechless that he would offer his help. You nod and he rubs your hand with his. “Don’t worry, Your attorney and I can walk you through this. For now let’s finish eating. Ok?” He asks. You just nod and go back to eating. 

After a few minutes you say, “Richard, can you please not tell anyone about this. I’m not ready to deal with all the cast and crew telling me they are sorry, etc.” he looks at you puzzled but nods. “I won’t say anything. Tell them when you are ready.” He says quietly. 

Suddenly they hear people start coming into the set area and he watches as you quickly scarf down the rest of your sub and grab the water. You stand and thank him for lunch and his help and he gives you a quick hug before you race back to set. He sighs and picks up the trash and dumps it into the garbage as Shannon and Stacey come walking in. 

“How come you didn’t join us for lunch, Rich?” They ask. “Spying on Miss y/n again?” They tease as they bump shoulders with him. “Did ya ask her out yet? I know you got a crush on her! You’ve been watching her since the first day of filming!!!” They tease, making his face very red. 

Richard rubs his neck and says, “I offered to buy her lunch and have it delivered here. She was having a rough time and seemed to not want to be around a lot of people. We talked about what was bothering her and I think we got some things figured out.” He replies. 

The two ladies look at each other and each grab an arm, pulling him down on the couch. “Spill it!” They beg. He just grins and says as he stands, “ Oh no! You’ll have to talk to her about it. It’s not my place to say anything.” He says standing and steps over Shannon’s legs and heads for the door. 

The two women giggle and look at each other. “Time for a girl’s night out!” They both say. 

Richard gets back onto the set and keeps an eye on Y/n for the rest of the afternoon. You seem fine to most people, but the director keeps glancing at you. During one of the resets, he walks over to Richard and asks, “I’m worried about Y/n. She isn’t as chipper as she was this morning. Any idea why?” Richard shrugs. “You’ll have to ask her. It’s not my place to say.” The director nods. Then goes back to film. 

Close to the end of the day the director comes up to you and asks to talk to you. He takes you to the room where you and Richard had lunch and shuts the door. You get incredibly nervous that he is going to fire you for eating lunch with Richard.

He comes over to you and says, “Y/n, I’ve noticed you aren’t as chipper this afternoon as you were before getting that phone call right before lunch. Is something going on that I should know about? I just want to make sure you’re ok.” 

You look at him worried. “Did Richard tell you?” You ask. “What do you mean, Y/n? Richard hasn’t said anything other than to ask you.” You sigh and sit back down on the sofa. You feel your eyes start to sting. 

“The call I got was my family’s lawyer. He said my parents were killed in a car crash today. The cops couldn’t get ahold of me and there’s no other next of kin, so they called him looking to get ahold of me.” You tell him and start to cry. 

“Oh, honey!” The director says as he comes over to you and sits next to you and tries to console you. “I’m so sorry! Why didn’t you say anything about it when you first collapsed?!? I would’ve understood and given you the time off!” You sniffled. “I can’t afford to take any time off. I’m barely making ends meet. I need this job now, more than ever.” You explain. 

“Sweetheart, you need to take time to grieve. That’s why we have bereavement pay. Don’t worry about us or your finances, we’ll help you make it. Ok? Now is there anything you need?” He asks. “I don’t know. I guess I’m still in shock. The lawyer was trying to tell me all kinds of stuff but I just couldn’t focus.” You tell him. 

“Sweetheart, do you have anyone who can help you through this besides your family’s lawyer?” The director asks. You shake your head. “No, not really. Richard offered to help when he saw me sitting alone during lunch. I guess he could tell something was bothering me, so he bought us lunch and we talked about it. But I told him not to say anything till the end of the day. I just can’t deal with hearing condolences from everyone right now.” You explain. 

“Ok, here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to go home and take some bereavement time to grieve and work things out. I will talk with Richard and the cast & crew to see if we can rearrange the schedule so he can be with you to help you with everything. “ 

“Oh, no! Sir! I can’t ask you to do that for me! No! I will muddle through this somehow without upsetting the entire filming schedule!” You tell him.

“Nonsense! You’re part of this film’s family, and we take care of each other! Especially when there’s something like this! Ok?” He insists.

You sigh, understanding you won’t win this argument. “Ok, sir.” You say quietly. 

He rubs your back. “You are not alone in this young lady. We are here for you even if it’s just you needing a shoulder to cry on or you need to vent.” He assures you. Now go home and we will keep in touch. He says standing and giving you a side hug. “You’re gonna be ok.” You nod and head for the door. He follows and you both enter the stage. You can feel all eyes on you as you gather your things. 

The director gets everyone’s attention and says they will film one more scene for the day. Once everyone is refocused on doing the next scene, he turns to you and nods for you to leave. 

Richard watches your interactions and sees you gathering your things. He looks at the director obviously worried. The director mouths “it’s okay” to him and he nods. They film the remaining scene, giving you time to make your escape home. 

Once filming is done. The director calls for everyone’s attention. “As you may have noticed, I sent Y/n home early today. You’re probably wondering why. It turns out she got a call from her family’s lawyer just before lunch informing her that her parents died in a car accident today. She was an only child and now has no family to help her prepare and plan a double funeral and deal with the estate as well as help her grieve.” Everyone is shocked and begins to murmur. 

The director holds up his hands. “Some of you have offered to help her with this process. For those who do, I will be rearranging the filming schedule to accommodate. You know who you are. Come see me tomorrow to work out details. As for the rest of you, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She is feeling overwhelmed by this news and I don’t want you all inundating her with visits all at once. If you do go to visit her, please do so in small groups and keep the visits short. 

Feel free to send cards, notes of sympathy or encouragement and flowers, but she is struggling financially, so think of ways to help her in those aspects to show you wish her well. She will be back with us once bereavement is over and she is up to starting to work again. Are there any questions?” 

“Where should we send cards and gifts to? Does anyone know where she lives?” Someone asks.

“We do!” Says Shannon and Stacey. “Send them here and we can bring them to her!” They offer. The director nods. “Any other questions?” He asks. There’s murmuring, but no one asks any further questions. 

“If there’s no other questions... then you’re free to get cleaned up and go home.” He says. 


	2. Chapter 2

Richard, Shannon and a couple others quickly rushed to their dressing rooms to get changed out of costume and makeup. They decided that they were going to make you supper & dessert and spend time with you tonight. 

They all piled in Shannon’s SUV and stopped at the local grocery store. Richard went to get you flowers, Shannon went to get your favourite dessert, Stacey and another costar went to get stuff for supper. On his way back to the cash register, Richard saw some wine that would go great with the supper they had planned for you. He grabbed a couple bottles and placed them on the counter with the flowers. 

The cashier rang them up and he paid for them then stood by the doors waiting for the rest of the group. Once they all had their purchases they went to your apartment. Stacey pulled out a sympathy card and had everyone write in it before they got out of the SUV, then she tucked it in with the flowers Richard was holding. 

They went up to the door and rang the buzzer. Shannon pushed Rich forward telling him he got to be the spokesperson. He gave her a look and she giggled. You answer the buzzer wondering who it is. “It’s Rich, Shannon, Stacey and Gabe. We’re here to make you supper and we brought food, dessert and a gift.” Richard tells you.

“What did you bring for supper & dessert?” You ask, not really in the mood for company. 

Stacey shouts out "Chicken & broccoli Alfredo, breadsticks, and chocolate marshmallow ice cream and strawberry cheesecake ice cream!!!!” They hear you laugh and you buz them in. 

You hear them laughing and stomping up the three flights of steps to your apartment. Stacey & Shannon are huffing and puffing when you open the door and look out as they come up the last steps. You shake your head at them and can’t help but grin. 

You stand there in your college’s sweatpants (cuz they were SO comfortable but WAY too long for you), and a worn out college sweatshirt with the stretched out neckline. You blush bright red when you realize you forgot to go put a bra on and that Gabe is also with the group as is Richard. Richard grins when he sees what you’re wearing, making you blush even more red.

“Why on God’s green earth did you choose the top floor in an apartment with NO elevator?!?!?” Stacey asks you, out of breath.

You laugh, “Cuz it FORCES me and my guests to get SOME exercise!!!” You say grinning. Richard and Gabe just chuckle and Gabe messes your hair as he passes through the door. Richard grins when he sees you and bops you on the nose gently with the flowers. 

Both Richard and Gabe stand in the entry looking around. They notice you have very little in your apartment. “So, y/n how long have you lived here?” Gabe asks as Richard hands you the flowers, card and wine bottles. You motion for them to follow you to the kitchen. 

“I moved here about 8 months ago. I know it’s not much. I just never got around to decorating it I guess. My finances have been tight since I moved here. It’s SO much more expensive here than back home.” You explain. I just got the bare basics for now.” You sigh. “It’ll fill up now that I have to go through Mom & Dad’s house and decide what to keep and what to sell.” You say quietly as a tear runs down your cheek and you brush it away. 

You busy yourself with the flowers. Arranging them in a water pitcher since you don’t own a vase. Richard had bought you a bunch of brightly colored daisies and Fuji mums, which were your favourites, unbeknownst to him. 

Richard notices that you don’t seem to own a vase and makes a mental note for the next time. You place them on the dining table off to the side of the kitchen, and sit to open the card. Richard comes and stands near you and leans on one of the counters as Gabe, Stacey & Shannon start making supper. 

You open the card and see three gift cards for $200 each. One is a general Visa card, one is for the grocery store near your apartment, and the other is for a fancier restaurant. The four people in your apartment all signed it and wrote condolences & well wishes to you.

You look up at them with glassy eyes, blown away by their generosity and friendship. You look up at Richard & he is smiling at you warmly. His eyes crinkling at the corners and twinkling with happiness knowing that you won’t be alone tonight. 

He comes over and stands behind you and rubs your shoulders absentmindedly as you both watch your friends make a mess of your kitchen. You look down at the card in your hand and sniffle. Then you set it next to the pitcher of flowers. You pull out your phone case and put the three gift cards into it. 

You flip your phone to photo mode and take a few pictures of Shannon, Gabe & Stacey all making you supper, then take a few selfies of you and Richard watching them now that he pulled up a chair behind you and has his chin on your shoulder. 

“You guys didn’t have to do this. I was just going to have pizza, my Jameson, and watch Guys & Dolls.” You inform them. 

“Nonsense! Shannon says! You can still watch your movie! We are crashing your party tho and providing MUCH better food and drink than pizza and whiskey!” 

You clench you’re chest and gasp. “How dare you belittle my Jameson!” You tease with mock offense. Then you get up, open the freezer and to Richard’s surprise pull out a big bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey, open it and take a couple swigs. Then close the bottle and put it back in the freezer. You grin and walk back and plop back down on your chair. 

Stacey laughs and shakes her head. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a hard liquor girl!” She laughs.

You grin. “It’s in my blood. You can blame my mom’s side of the family! Scotch, Irish, English, Russian, Finnish, French-Canadian.” You grin. Richard chuckles. You look at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“That bottle looked like it was half gone. How long has it been in the freezer?” He asks you with his own raised eyebrow. You grin. Since I got off of work.” You say deadpanned to see what kind of reaction you get. 

They ALL stop and stare at you. You start guffawing. “Relax. It’s been in there for about two months now! It was a gift from my dad when I finally told him I got this job!” You tell them laughing. They all chuckle and Shannon throws a wet washcloth at you hitting you on the arm. “Brat!” She says then laughs as you throw it back at her. Richard is chuckling behind you.

They get supper going and you get up and go into the living room and open the entertainment center. Richard follows you and plops down on the oversized U-shaped couch. He looks around at the room. There’s a bookcase filled with books and literature, another bookcase is filled with DVD’s. He gets up and goes to see what kind of taste you have for movies and books. 

He is surprised at the variety. Old musicals like “Singin’ in the Rain”, “Guys and Dolls”, “The Court Jester”, a lot of Disney animated and also live action movies, BBC sets of Downton Abbey, Robin Hood, Are You Being Served, and several versions of Jane Eyre. He sees Marvel & DC movies, The Hobbit, The Lord of The Rings, but also nearly all of the Indiana Jones movies, Almost all of the Star Wars movies, Star Trek, and lots of chick flicks like Pretty Woman, Never Been Kissed, Mamma Mia, Grease, Miss Congeniality, The Princess Bride. He grins when he sees Into the Storm and all of the X-men movies, and the newest version of Phantom of the Opera as well as many many more. 

He walks over to your bookcase and looks at your books. Wurthering Heights, Jane Eyre, The Odyssey, Little Women, 66 Love Letters, history books on Egypt, Greece and Rome. Books and magazines on archaeology, a whole shelf of J.R.R. Tolkien books and related books, another entire shelf of C.S. Lewis’ works including a VERY worn out OLD boxed set of the Narnia books. You had a set of the Earth’s Children series by Jane Auel as well, along with a bunch of classic literature books like Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, Dr Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde, Moby Dick, Grimms’ Fairytales, and a whole bunch more.

You watch him as he peruses your movies and books, studying his face as he explores your two collections. He smiles at some, grins when he sees others, and after a bit you come over and say, “Well?” 

He looks at you confused. “Well what?” He asks as he wraps an arm around your waist and looks down at you as he glanced from the bookcase to you. "What do you think?" you ask him. He grins. "You have quite an eclectic taste in movies and books." he states. You shiver as his thumb finds bare skin at your waist and you reach up to put a book back into the bookcase that you had finished earlier. He notices the bare skin immediately and slides his hand up so his whole hand is on your bare ribs. His thumb grazing the underside of your breast. You grin, realizing the shirt had pulled up on one side revealing you weren’t wearing a bra. His hand feels warm against your bare skin. 

You chuckle and turn to face him as he swallows hard. Your faces are mere inches apart & you feel his breath on your shoulder. His dreamy blue eyes are very dilated and he holds you closer. “Thank you for the flowers, Richard.” You say. He smiles. “I hope you like them. They were so bright and colorful, I thought they might help cheer you up a bit.” He explains.

You smile. “They will. They are my favourite flowers. Especially those huge fugi mums!” You grin and give him a kiss on the nose. Making him grin. 

He smiles and traces the side of your face. “I’m glad you like them. What were you going to put in now that we are all here?” He asks. You grin and walk back to your movie case.

You pull out “Guys and Dolls” and shake the case. He chuckles, “a musical huh?” He says. You give him a cheesy grin and nod. He walks back over to the couch and plops down on the shorter U section in the middle. 

You walk over to the DVD player and pop in the DVD. Then ask him if he wants anything to drink while the two of you wait. He thinks for a minute then asks for a soda. You head for the kitchen and he hears Shannon and Stacey talking and Gabe laughing at something they said. You come walking out with two Cokes and a smirk on your face.

“What’s so funny?” He asks as you sit next to him and hand him his coke. “They were giving me shit for putting a shot of Jameson in mine.” 

He chuckles. You take a swig and groan. He goes to take a swig of his but you stop him. “Hang on... they switched them on me... here.” You say as you take the one in his hands and hands him yours. He frowns for a minute then chuckles. You take a swig of the one in your hand and say “Ahhhh, that’s better!” 

Richard looks at you and laughs. “I never would’ve pegged you for a whiskey drinker.” He tells you. You look at him puzzled for a moment. “What would’ve you pictured me drinking?” You ask curious. He thinks for a moment. “Screwdrivers.” He says. You grin. “I like those too.” You confess. “Especially in the hands of a sexy handyman.” You say and wiggle your eyebrows, earning a hearty laugh from Richard. “I’ll have to remember that.” He tells you grinning.

Just then Stacie hollers that supper will be ready in a half hour. Bring it out here when it's ready Stace! You holler back. We can eat and watch the movie! You and Richard talk about your favourite movies to watch as you wait and sip on your sodas.

Once it's ready, they bring the plates of food, then the basket of breadsticks, the chilled wine, glasses, silverware, napkins and the flowers and card. Shannon puts the flowers on the side table by you along with the card. They pour the wine and you all toast to your parents and to new family and friends, then you hit play on the remote and you all dig in to the food. 

Once everyone finished eating Shannon gets up and collects all the plates. She brings them to the kitchen and comes back with bowls of ice cream for everyone. You eat ice cream and laugh at the movie. 

You’re snuggled against Richard after eating your ice cream. “Geez, you’re like a blazing heater!” You tease him. He just grins and wraps his arm around you. “Is someone cold?” He asks. You nod. “I blame the ice cream.” You say giggling. He chuckles and grabs the blanket from off the back of the couch and drapes it over you. 

A little while later, he feels you get heavy against his chest. He glances down and you’re sound asleep. He chuckles and pets your head while he watches the rest of the movie. By the time it’s done, you’re in a deep sleep. 

Stacey looks over and quietly says, “Awwwwe! Is she asleep?” Richard nods and holds up a finger to his lip. “You guys go ahead and clean up then head home. I’m gonna stay here and sleep on the couch so she isn’t alone.” They look at him and nod. “Thanks for the food, ladies and Gabe, make sure they get home in one piece.” He says quietly. Gabe nods and gives Richard a wink.

They clean up the kitchen and dishes and then head out after saying bye to Richard.

He looks down at you and kisses your forehead. He gently slides an arm under your knees and wraps the other back around your waist. He shifts you onto his lap and then carefully stands and looks around trying to figure out where your room is. He sees a door off in the corner and walks over to it. It isn’t quite pulled shut, so he toes it open to see a beautifully decorated bedroom. The lamps on either side of the bed flip on with a dim night light bulb in them when they sense movement and provide a better view. He sits you in the lounge chair in the corner of your room and props you against the side. 

Then he goes to your bed and pulls back the dark blue comforter revealing silver silk sheets. He grins and runs his hand over them imagining making love to you in that bed. He grins, “not now though.” He tells himself. He walks back over to you and looks at you in the chair. Your hair has fallen out of the loose braid you had it in and you’re snuggled into the blanket from the couch. 

Richard walks over and carefully unwraps you from the blanket. Then he picks you up again bridal style and carries you to the queen size bed. He chuckles as he sees your pants hanging almost a foot down past your feet. 

He kneels down on the bed and carefully lays you down in the middle of it. He covers you up and brushes the loose hair from your face. “Get some rest, Sweetheart. I’ll be out in the living room on the couch when you wake up.” He whispers, then kisses your cheek. Unable to resist that little splurge.” Then he walks to the chair, grabs the blanket from the couch that you were wrapped in, walks to the door and looks back at you again. 

He sighs contentedly and pulls the door closed a little. He lays down on the couch and covers up with the blanket. Enjoying the fact that it smells like you, he drifts off to sleep thinking of you and silver silk sheets. 


	3. Chapter 3

You wake up to a pounding headache, the smell of bacon & eggs & you’re in your room, laying in your bed. You are trying to figure out where the smell is coming from when you hear someone moving around in your kitchen. 

Confused, you sit up wondering who it could be. When you suddenly hear, “Shit!” Then hear “Ow!” And the sound of a frying pan hitting the floor. You suddenly remember you had company last night and the last thing you remembered was snuggling on the couch with Richard. 

You jump up and get dizzy for a moment. Battling a hangover you quickly walk over to your mirror and look at yourself, try to smooth down your bed head and then leave your room. 

Blinking, you step into your bright living room then pad over to the kitchen with your hand shielding your eyes from the bright light. You stand in the doorway surprised to see Richard standing at the stove. His finger in his mouth, and a stack of pancakes on a plate next to him. 

“What are you doing? How did you get in here?” You ask confused. He turns, still having his burnt finger in his mouth and looks at you with a grin and a raised eyebrow. 

“Don’t you remember us coming for supper last night?” He asks as you walk towards him. 

“I remember that, but how did you get in here this morning?” You ask as you grab his hand and look at the red, angry burn on his middle finger. You turn on the cold water in the sink and shove his finger into the cold water. He hisses and tries to pull it out but you have a firm hold on his hand and keep it under the water. 

“I slept on the couch.” He tells you after the pain starts to be numbed by the ice cold water. “You fell asleep leaning against me, so when the movie got done, Shannon, Stacie & Gabe cleaned up and left. I brought you to your bed and tucked you in, then slept on the couch, which by the way is quite comfortable!” He says with a sheepish grin. 

You look up at him surprised. He is looking at you with such adoration it makes your stomach feel like it has butterflies in it. You look back to his hand and pull it out of the cold water and shut off the tap. You let go of his hand and grab the towel for him to dry it. 

You move to your junk drawer and dig around while he flips the pancake in the frying pan. “Ahhh, there you are my treasure!” You say when you find your bottle of medical grade lavender oil. You grab a couple gauze pads and the tape for them as well. 

You come back over to Richard and take his hand. You turn it so the burn is facing you and you drop a few drops of the lavender right onto the burn. You carefully tilt his hand so the oils coats the burn completely. Then you drop some drops onto the small gauze pad and place it on the burn. Then you wrap the burn and gauze carefully with the tape, so he can still use his finger. 

“I know it looks and feels wierd, but it will keep it clean and the lavender will help it heal faster. You’ll have a nice blister on it by tonight though. What are you doing in here?” You ask.

He grins. “What does it look like I’m doing, silly? Making you breakfast.” He chuckles. You smile, then turn to put the lavender back in your drawer. You turn too fast and get dizzy. “Ooooh, my head!” You say, “Why did I have so much to drink last night!?!” You moan. 

Richard chuckles and sits you down at the table with a bottle of water and a couple aspirin. “Here, take these and I will dish up breakfast.” He tells you and kisses your head. You watch as he dishes up pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon and orange juice. He carries your plate and cup over first, then goes to get his. 

The two of you eat breakfast and talk. You tell him you called the lawyer when you got home and he explained that your parents had been hit by a drunk driver going the wrong way on the highway as they were coming home from having breakfast at their favourite restaurant. The driver hit several other cars as well. He told you that your parents likely didn’t know what hit them it happened so fast and that they died instantly according to the EMT’s & highway patrol.

You shed some more tears and apologize to him for crying. He comes over and sits by you and holds you, telling you that there’s no reason to apologize. 

Once you’ve calmed down again, he asks if the lawyer told you what the next steps are. You nod. “He said I am needed to identify the bodies so he can get me the death certificates I will need for all the paperwork. He told me my parents named me heir and left me everything. He said he has letters for me and all the necessary paperwork.” You explain and cry again. 

Richard just holds you and lets you cry, shedding a few of his own tears into your soft hair remembering the pain of losing his Mum. 

“Where did your parents live?” He asks you once you’ve calmed down. “On Sand Lake in Minnesota” you explain. I grew up in North Dakota, but my parents moved to the lake home after they retired. It was always my favourite place to go to relax & recharge as it’s one of the quieter lakes in Minnesota.” You explain. 

You pop a piece of bacon in your mouth and Richard pulls his plate over to eat some more. “When does the lawyer want you to meet with him?” Richard asks. “As soon as I can get there.” You reply. He nods and pulls out his phone. He texts the director telling him that the two of you will need to leave ASAP to start handling things for the funeral and estate. 

The director texts back “ _Go ahead and go with her. Keep me informed how things are going. Everyone wants to attend the funeral if she is ok with it. Give her a hug from us and tell her she is in our thoughts and prayers_.”

Richard smiles and texts back, “ _Will do. Thanks!_ ”

He turns to you and chuckles to see you’re almost done eating. “Hungry?” He asks. “I was!” You reply. “Im not looking forward to this trip, Rich.” You say and sigh. He rubs your back. “I know, Sweetheart. But I will be coming with you, so you won’t be doing it alone, ok?”

You look at him surprised. “You whaaa?” He grins. “ I told you yesterday, I will help you through this. How else would I do that than by being with you?” He asks with a raised eyebrow. Your cheeks get warm and you look down. “I guess I thought we’d just be talking on the phone when you weren’t filming.” You say quietly. 

He chuckles and pulls you into a big bear hug causing you to squeak. “No darling, I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not. The director has already ok’d it and I’ll book the flights when you decide when you want to fly out. This hug is from everyone working on the movie and they said to tell you they are keeping you in their thoughts and prayers.” He gives you a squeeze and then lets you go. 

You giggle. Then thank him. You sit for a few minutes then look around. You get up and go to your junk drawer and dig around for paper and a pencil. You come back and sit down, making a “to do” list. While you work on the list, Richard cleans up his mess in the kitchen and does the dishes. 

You come over to him and show him the list once you finished it. He reads through it. It’s everything you need to do before the two of you leave. “Have I forgotten anything?” You ask. Don’t forget about your mail.” He reminds you. “Are you going to have it held or forwarded?” He asks.

“I think I will just have Shannon apartment sit for me while I’m gone. She has my spare key anyway and I can give her my mail box key. If there’s cards or bills, I will just have her mail them to me depending on how long we will be gone.” 

“I’m going to go call my landlord to let him know what is going on and my plans. Then I will start packing too.” You inform Richard. He pulls you into another hug as you both round the counter. He holds you to his chest for a minute. “When do you want to head out? I will need to let my agent know so she can book us tickets and a rental car.” You giggle. “Tell her we’ll need a rental truck or suv. Something with 4wheel drive that sits higher to get to the cabin.” 

Richard looks down at you confused. “The cabin is on a gravel road, Richard. If it’s been raining there we will need the 4 wheel drive to get through the soggy gravel parts of the road.” You explain.

“Oh, okay.” He says as he kisses your head and lets you go. 

He watches as you meander out of the kitchen chuckling at the too long pants hiding your bare feet and dragging under you. He suspects that you would look quite the same should you try wearing his sweatpants. The thought makes him smile. 

Richard goes to his phone and calls his agent first, explaining what has happened and what he is doing and what the film’s director had told him.

Then he called his assistant and filled her in. She agreed to book you flights for either tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on what she could get. She said she would take care of everything for his flat and mail. She said to give you her condolences and to keep in touch with her how things are going. She asked if he was going to pack a suitcase and he said that the two of you would stop by his apartment so he can pack sometime this morning or early afternoon. 

Richard walked into your living room and looked around. He wondered what kind of furnishings you would choose if finances hadn’t been a problem for you. He saw some photos sitting on top of the entertainment center and went to look at them. 

They were of you and your parents. A couple of you with Shannon and Stacie and one of you and a guy who looked, well, mismatched standing next to you. He wondered who the guy was.

Just then you came out of your room and looked over at Richard who was looking at your photos. You came over and he saw your eyes were red rimmed again. “You ok?” He asks as you snuggle up to him and look sadly at your photos. 

You shrug. “Those are now all of my angels.” You say sadly. “What do you mean?” Richard asks confused. You point at the photo of your parents. “Mom and Dad are now gone...” and you point at the picture of you and the young man. “... and Brent is gone too.” 

“Who was Brent? I thought you were an only child?” Richard asks confused. “I am.” You reply. “Brent was my best friend growing up. We did everything together. He was like my big brother in a way. When we got into high school he got very protective of me when boys started trying to ask me out. One in particular wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. 

My senior year, the guy asked me to prom. I didn’t want to go with him and said “no”. Brent ended up taking me. During one of the dances a girl Brent had a huge crush on came up and asked me if I would mind letting her have a dance with him. She was a friend of mine and we had all gone as one big group. So they went off to dance. 

Well, 'mr I don’t take no for an answer' saw that I was not being protected by Brent and he came up to me and asked if I wanted to get some fresh air since it was hot in the gym where the dance was occurring. There were a bunch of people going in and out of the gym, and I did want to cool off, so I went with him figuring it would be safe enough with all those classmates around. 

We stood out on the steps and were looking up at the stars. When suddenly he grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder and took me to his truck. I screamed out, but everyone thought he was just going to finally get a chance to make out with me.” You say and turn and walk to the windows looking out to the street. You wrap your arms around yourself and Richard could see your shoulders curl inward. 

He walks up to you from behind and wraps you in his arms protectively. You startle when he touches your arms and he murmurs that you’re ok. It’s just him. You nod and are quiet for a couple minutes. He just stands there holding you, patiently waiting for you to collect your thoughts. 

Finally you continue, “He threw me into his truck and locked the doors. He tied my wrists together with his tie and tied them to the head rest. Then he raped me repeatedly.” You say in almost a whisper. 

You feel Richard tense up, then he turns you slowly and gently tilts up your face to him. “I’m so sorry, Sweetheart that you had to experience that. Was that your first experience with sex?” He asks. 

You nod. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry!” He says, pulling you against his chest again. “What happened with Brent though? How does this story relate to his death?” Richard asks. 

“When he finished dancing with my friend he noticed I was gone. He asked around and the people who had been outside when we went out there told him that the guy took his chance and took me to go make out with him in his truck.

Brent knew immediately that I was in danger. He got a couple of friends together and had someone run to tell the Principal that I was being raped by the guy and that Brent and his friends were going to go rescue me.

When Brent and his friends arrived the guy had already been inside of me and wasn’t paying attention to anything else but getting his pleasures from me. When I would struggle, he would slap or beat me.” You explain.

You could hear Richard growl at this and looked up at his face. His eyes were closed and he had a pained expression on his face. You put your face back against his chest and continued. 

“Brent and his friends had to use a rock to bust in the truck’s window so they could get the guy off of me. By then I was barely conscious. I just vaguely remember hearing arguing and Brent covering me with his jacket and untying me from the headrest. He helped me out of the truck and his friends had restrained the guy. 

Brent and his friend were carrying me to the side of the parking lot when we heard a scuffle and his other friend shouted “look out!” But it was too late. A gun fired and Brent collapsed in front of me. He had been shot in the chest and died in my arms. He gave his life to try and save me from 'Mr. I don’t take no for an answer.'” You explain and tears filled your eyes. 

Richard stood there in shock. Rage was flowing through him and he gritted his teeth hearing what you had endured. He vowed then and there to make your next experience with sex, an amazing one that will make you forget how horrible your first time was with this jerk. 

Richard took some slow deep breaths to calm himself and you could feel the tension leaving him. He cradled your head in his hand and kissed the top of your head. “He truly was a good friend to try to help you like that. I’m sorry he paid for it with his life. Please tell me the jerk that raped you and shot him was punished.” He says quietly. You nod. 

When the football team players found out what happened they were immediately after him and caught him when he tried to escape. Brent was one of the football team captains. His death hit the school hard. It triggered a lot of changes to how the school handled prom after that. Brent’s murderer got life in Prison without parole. Because of what all happened. “Good!” Richard growled.

He sighed and rubbed his face. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. How did your parents handle it?” He asked. They were shocked and furious. But they were more concerned for me. I was taken to the hospital and kept there for a few nights. Luckily I didn’t get pregnant and didn’t get any STD’s from him though. I had to get tested every year for about 4 years just to be sure. I’ve never been in a relationship with a guy since then.” You explain. “I guess I was afraid to, and didn’t know how my parents would handle it.” You admit.

Richard looks at you stunned. “You never dated after that?” He asks. “Nope.” You say quietly.

He rubs his chin. “Would you now if someone asked you?” He asks quietly, nervous as to what your answer would be. You hear his heart start racing and lean away to look up at him. “ I suppose it would depend on who is asking.” You tell him. 

He smirks. “Would you let me date you?” He asks quietly as he caresses your face and looks at you with longing and love. You are surprised for a moment that he would want to date you after what you had just told him. “Y-you WANT to date me? Even after what I just told you?” You ask astonished. 

He pulls you back against him and traces your face with his hand. “Yes, y/n, especially after what you told me. You are a strong, smart, and amazing woman. You are a survivor. You have been treated poorly by that man and should be shown what real love and affection should feel like. You deserve to be happy and treated with kindness and made to feel like a treasure to those around you.” Richard whispers in your ear. “Will you let me do that, Sweetheart? Will you be my girl and let me pamper and treat you right?”

You lean back and look at his face barely believing your ears. “You WANT me to be your girl?” You ask again. He chuckles and nods. He takes your head in his hands and places his forehead against yours. 

“Y/n, I have watched you since the first day of filming. You intrigued me, fascinated me and I’ve loved you since the first day I saw you. You were different from the other women on set. And now I understand why. I treasure you, Sweetheart. You bring a light and a joy on set, and in my life. 

I looked forward to seeing you each day. And struggled to work up the nerve to even talk to you. I’d see you dancing at the clubs with Shannon and Stacie and wish I had the courage to ask you to dance with me. When I saw you take that call yesterday and then crumpled in shock onto the floor. I didn’t think, just reacted. All I wanted to do was pick you up and hold you and comfort you. Like I am now.” He tells you. 

You look at him and tears begin to run down your face. He gently brushes them aside with his thumbs. “I never thought anyone would want me after what happened. I tried to just ignore men after that. Not wanting to risk being hurt again. When you came up to me on set and talked to me and helped me up. I was afraid.” You tell him.

He looks at you confused. “Why were you afraid?” He asked. You look down. I’ve been feeling like someone was watching me for a while now. I don’t know who it was, but it unnerved me a little. I was afraid of being attacked again.” You admit. 

Richard chuckled. “I’m sorry, Love. That was my fault. I would stand in the shadows and watch you work. Trying to work up the courage to come talk to you.” He explained. “Is that why you jumped and nearly dropped your phone when I finally was able to talk you into joining me for lunch?” He asked. You nodded.

Richard reaches down to your face and touches your cheek. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart, will you forgive me?” You look at him surprised. No man had ever apologized to you like he had. You swallow and get lost in his amazing blue eyes. You nod. He smiles and his eyes twinkle. He leans in and gives you a hesitant kiss on the lips. Just barely grazing them with his. 

He brings his forehead back to yours and looks into your eyes trying to gauge your reaction to his kiss. You blush brightly, making him grin. Then you reach up to the back of his neck and pull him in for another kiss. It starts out gentle and he begins to nibble your lip and you part your lips. He grins and begins to explore your mouth, kissing you passionately. You both moan at the pleasure and finally come up for air grinning. “Wow!” You whisper. He chuckles and is just about to go for another kiss when his phone rings.

He growls and lets you go to go see who is breaking up his make out session with you. You watch him while you’re licking your red lips, and can still feel the ghost of his lips on them. His scruff leaving your mouth and chin a little red. You grin to yourself and walk back over to the photo of Brent. “I hope you approve of this!” You whisper to the photo. 

You feel Richard’s arms snake around your waist. “I hope so too.” He says then kisses your neck down to your shoulder. You squirm. “Richard! That tickles!” He grins and stops. You put the photo back on the cabinet and stand there looking at them. 

“Come on, Love, we need to hurry. Our plane tickets are for 6:32pm and we need to be there by 4:30pm.” He tells you. You nod and go to your room and grab your phone. You call Shannon and ask her if she would be willing to apartment sit for you while you’re gone. She agrees and you tell her, “NO parties” and that you’ll leave the mailbox key for her on the kitchen counter and to put the mail there. She agrees and you thank her and hang up. 

You call your landlord and explain things to him and he offers his condolences and you thank him and tell him your friend Shannon will be staying at your apartment to keep an eye on the place for you. You give him her phone number in case there’s any problems. You tell him you will let him know when you return and thank him for being so understanding.

Richard watches you from the doorway and then comes and sits down on the chair he set you on last night. You stand and walk over to the closet and open the doors. He chuckles when he sees how stuffed full it is of clothes. You giggle sheepishly and try to reach for the suitcase on the top shelf. You are too short and can’t reach it. Your shirt rides up so far that he can see the bottom of your breasts and it makes him groan a little. 

Luckily for him, you don’t hear it. “Would you like some help getting that down?” He asks as he stands up and walks up behind you. You sigh and say, “Yes please.” And look up at him as he reaches over your head and pulls out the suitcase, causing a pile of clothes to come tumbling down on your head.

You both start laughing and he puts the suitcase down on the bed. He turns to look at you and you’re buried up to your knees with clothes. You look down and say with a grin, “I meant to get rid of these a while ago, I guess I forgot about them.”

He chuckles and starts to pick them up and lay them on the bed. You blush and hop out of the pile to help him. He holds up a pair of skin tight leather pants and raises an eyebrow. You realize you’re holding the matching shirt for the outfit and blush an even deeper shade of red. You grab them blushing furiously say, “Those are not for donating they are for something else....”


	4. Chapter 4

“Those are not for donating, they are for something else...” you say as you quickly grab the skin tight leather pants from Richard’s hand and stuff them along with the shirt you’re holding into the corner of your closet. He smirks and looks at you with raised eyebrow. 

You duck your head and don’t acknowledge his look and keep picking up clothes from off the floor. He shrugs and goes back to helping you. You get all the clothes piled on the bed that you were going to donate. You write a note for Shannon and Stacie to please bring this pile to some kind of thrift store / goodwill store. Then you turn and look into the closet. You pull out the rest of the pile that fell over when Richard pulled down the suitcase. You lay the rest of the clothes to donate on top of the pile, then place the note next to the pile so your friends see it.

Richard chuckled when he saw you trying to reach a shirt that had gotten pushed to the back of the shelf. You could just barely see it was up there. He grinned and reached up and took it down. He looked at it and handed it to you grinning. It was a cheesy hawaiian shirt you had gotten at a thrift store for a company party.

You grabbed it and tossed it onto the pile.”It’s nice having someone taller than me around. I might have to keep you around more often! Saves me trips to get the step ladder out!” you tease him. He chuckles. 

“So what are you packing for the trip? What’s the weather like there this time of year?” Richard asks. You sit down on the bed and think. “Well, it’s late May, so it’s not warm enough to really do any swimming. The ice probably just got off the lake not too long ago. It can get quite chilly at night...like around freezing, and may or may not warm up during the day, but it could be anywhere from the 20′s F to in the 70′s F. It just depends on the weather pattern.” you explain. 

“I’m just going to bring jeans, sweaters, sweatshirts, sweatpants, some t-shirts, some dress clothes, and something black for the funeral. Maybe a couple pairs of shorts, in case it gets really warm on the off chance.” you tell him.”Ohhh! I almost forgot, Mom and Dad had gotten a hot tub! Bring a swim suit too!!!” you tell him excitedly.

Richard watches as you start pulling out clothes to take with on the trip. You lay them out on the bed and make them into ‘outfits’ that you can mix and match as you need. You pick out several t-shirts, camisoles, two skirts, that work with several tops, a little black dress and jacket, three sweaters, three sweatshirts, three sweatpants, four pairs of jeans, and socks, bras, and underwear and then dig around looking for a swimsuit. You find two. A one piece one, and your favourite two piece purple and green one. You pick the two piece and toss it into the suitcase. 

You fold/roll all the clothes up and pack them into the suitcase, then you go to the bathroom and get your hairbrush, comb, hairpins, hairbands, a hand mirror, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap for your face and shower, razors, and shampoo and conditioner. You also pack some makeup and makeup remover and cotton pads, as well as some jewelry, and the remember hygiene products for ‘that time of the month’. You pack all that stuff into your smaller travel bag leaving it in the bathroom so you can get ready before you two leave. 

You exit the bathroom and head over to the closet and dig around for your hiking boots and find them, then dig for some dress shoes. You find your nude pumps and your black wedge heels. You can’t decide, so you toss them both into shoe bags and put them in the suitcase. You look around to see if there’s anything else you are going to need while you’re gone. You can’t think of anything other than your jacket and hat, and gloves. So you close the suitcase and zip it shut. 

You look at Richard who is grinning at you. “What?” you ask. He chuckles. “That’s all you’re taking?” he asks. You nod. “Yeah. Why?” you ask. He just laughs. “Most women I’ve known pack their whole closet for a weekend trip!” he says laughing. You roll your eyes. “Well, I’m not most women, and I know how to mix and match outfits to get the most bang for my buck.” you say happily.

“Now, you need to go find something to do... I need to shower and get dressed.” Richard smirks and stands up. He walks over to you and wraps you in a hug. “Sure you don’t want some company in there?” he teases in your ear as he nibbles your neck and peppers it with kisses.

You start to giggle. “Richard! No! You can’t join me in there! Now shoo! Go find something to do while I get ready!” you say as you try to pull out of his embrace.

He chuckles and gives you a nip and you yelp. He kisses it better and then lets you go with a pout. You look at him and laugh, “Go on... I will be done in about a half hour. Go find a book to read or something.” you say as you head for the bathroom again.

Richard heads for the book case and looks through it and selects a book. He plops down onto the sofa and pulls out his phone. He messages his assistant that they should be over to his flat in a couple of hours if everything goes according to plan.

Then he messages the director what their plans are. “ _Flying out tonight for Minnesota, where her parents lived. Will rent a vehicle from the airport and drive to her parent’s lake home. Will keep you posted. Not sure how long we’ll be gone and what the cell service will be like there._ ”

The director texts back, " _Ok. Safe travels! How’s she doing_?”

Richard texts: “ _Cried a bit this morning, but seems to be ok. Just packed her suitcase and travel bag for the trip. Will head to my flat once she’s ready so I can pack a suitcase, then we’ll head to the airport. Tell everyone we thank them for the well wishes and we’ll see them soon._ ”

The director texts: “ _Will do. Keep me posted how you both are doing, and any plans. The cast want to attend the funeral, so when you have a date for it, let me know so I can pass it along to them. We’ll give you a head count as to how many to expect._ ” 

Richard texts a thumbs up emoji and “ _Talk to you later then!_ ”

He sets the phone down and starts to read, while he waits for you to finish getting ready. 

A half hour later you come walking out with wet hair and you’re dressed in dark blue jeans, a silver camisole, a black t-shirt and a black zip up hoodie. You slip into a pair of black flats. Your hair is all messy and you are trying to comb out the snarls and tangles. You glance over and see Richard is asleep on the couch with the book in his lap. You chuckle and go back into the bedroom and finish getting ready. You have braided your hair into two french braids that hang over your shoulders and have silver dangly earrings and matching necklace on and some silver bracelets.

You pull the suitcase over by the door, and plop your toiletries bag on top. You remember you need the meds you take for ‘that time of the month’ and your heating pad you use also for that time. You run back into the room and grab them both an put them in a backpack with the toiletries bag as well. 

You dig around in the coat closet and find your favourite cap and put it on, and you find your light weight, warm gloves and a jacket that will be appropriate for the temps you know that state gets this time of year. You stuff the gloves deep into the pockets of the jacket and grab a light scarf as well and shove it into the sleeve.

Once you’re ready, you go and take your mail box key off your key ring and you go to place it on the counter in the kitchen. You then walk back to the living room and wake Richard up. He looks up at you bleary-eyed and blinks a few times. You grin when you see the look of surprise on his face. “Well, don’t you clean up like a shiny new penny!” he teases. 

You smack him on the arm playfully and tell him you’re ready to go. He stands, stretches and goes to put the book back in your bookcase. “I guess I fell asleep reading.” he mumbles. You chuckle. “It’s ok. That couch is notorious for doing that to me too!” you tease.

Richard grabs his coat and hat out of the closet and puts them on. “Ok, now the question is, do we take a cab to my place or do you want to drive?” You think for a minute. “Let’s call a cab, if you don’t mind. I’d rather keep my vehicle in the garage where I know it will be safe.” you tell him. He nods and calls a cab. 

10 minutes later you’re heading to his place and he is looking at texts from his assistant. “Do we want to get supper at the airport, or do we want to have an early one before we head there?” he asks you. You shrug. “I don’t really care. I’m not really very hungry. You mumble as you look out the window of the cab. It’s finally hitting you why you are traveling and you don’t feel very talkative.” 

Richard looks over at you and studies your face as you look out the window of the cab. He loved how you looked when you woke him up. Although you still look the same, he notices you don’t seem as happy now, which is understandable. “You ok, Sweetheart?” he asks. 

You sigh. “It’s just finally hitting me why I’m having to travel. I almost had forgotten that Mom and Dad won’t be there to meet us and...yeah...” you sigh again and a few tears trickle down your pale cheek. 

Richard reaches over to you and pulls you over to him and he tilts your face up to his and caresses it. “I know, Sweetheart. This is going to be a rough trip for you. But I’m here and please don’t feel afraid to cry around me if you need to. My sister cried a lot when Mom died. It’s just a natural part of the grieving process, one I’m fine with. If you just want to be held and cry, I will be happy to hold you and let you cry.” 

You nod and snuggle against his shoulder. Soon you two arrive at his flat and his assistant is waiting for you two outside. You two get out of the taxi and the driver pulls out your luggage from the trunk of the taxi. Richard pays the driver and the two of you head over to meet his assistant.

He introduces you to each other and leads you two into the flat. Once you are inside, he goes to his room and packs his suitcase while you and his assistant talk. You remind him to pack a few pairs of shorts and a swimsuit and warm clothes since it gets quite cool there. He comes back out in about 15 minutes and has his suitcase and toiletries bag all packed. “What did you bring for shoes?” you ask.

He replies, “Tennis shoes, a pair of dress shoes and these.” he says holding up a pair of hiking boots. You smile and nod. “You might want the tennis shoes on for the flight though. You tell him. He nods, and takes them out of the suitcase, and puts the hiking boots into the shoe bag then puts them in the suitcase and zips it shut. 

He slides into the tennis shoes and ties them loosely so they are easy on - easy off. His assistant sends him the e-tickets and hands you the paper ones, just in case there’s any problems retrieving the e-tickets. You put them into your purse. 

She asks you two if you want supper anywhere or if you’re going to eat in the airport. You shrug. “I’m not all that hungry, really.” Richard shrugs. “We’ll eat when we get hungry, I guess.” She rolls her eyes and asks if you want a lift to the airport. Richard’s eyes light up and he nods. “Thanks, that would be great!” he tells her. She smiles and you all head out to the car. Richard locks up the apartment and joins you two as you are loading luggage into the trunk of the car.

You look at Richard wondering where to sit in the car. He looks at his assistant and she chuckles. “You two can hop in the back seat. I’ll be fine up here. She teases.” He opens the door for you and you get in. He closes the door and then gets in on the other side and slides over to you and gives you a hug. “Ready?” he asks. You nod. 

It takes about a half hour to get to the airport from Richard’s flat. His assistant talks with him about the movie that he is filming and she tells him that she has been in contact with the director and they have a plan for catching up the filming of his scenes when you two get back. 

You stare out the window feeling numb, not looking forward to this trip suddenly and wanting very much to just crawl under a rock and hide. You wish you had someone back home in MN who will be waiting to see you besides the lawyer. But your family’s parents both died a few years ago, and the aunts, Uncles and cousins are not really very close to you and could care less if they see you or not. You suppose they may show up for the funeral. But you haven’t got a clue how to get a hold of any of them. You hope your parents’ phones survived the accident. You know the phone numbers will be saved in them if they still work.

You suddenly feel Richard’s hand grab yours and give you a little squeeze. You look over at him and he gives you a kind smile. “You still doing ok? You looked deep in thought.” he says. 

“Just pondering how to get a hold of my parent’s siblings and my cousins. We aren’t close and I don’t know if they will even want to come to the funeral, but I don’t have any of their contact info. I hope my parent’s cell phones survived the crash. I know Mom and Dad had their siblings’ numbers in them.” You explain.

Richard’s assistant glances back quickly. “Ask the law enforcement if they found them. They may have them with any of your parents’ personal belongings that were in the car when the accident happened. Purse, wallet, jewelry all that they would’ve taken and kept safe somewhere for you.” she suggests. 

You nod and thank her. You sigh and lean against Richard’s shoulder and just hold his hand and play with his fingers. He chuckles and kisses your head.

You two arrive at the airport thanks to his assistant and you both get out, unload the luggage and thank her for the ride to the airport. 

Then Richard ushers you to the gate and you two check in, go through security and then find someplace to sit and wait till you can board the plane.

You call the lawyer and let him know you are flying into Minneapolis, will have an overnight layover and then will fly into Duluth. You tell him you will drive to the Lake Cabin that afternoon. 

You ask him if he knows whether the police had found your parent’s cell phones and if they were still working. He told you he would call them and ask. You set up a time to meet in Deer River the following afternoon to start going over things. You finish with the lawyer and find Richard walking back to you with two to-go containers of food. You sigh.

“Richard, I told you I wasn’t hungry.” you moan. “You need to eat, Y/n, you didn’t have lunch and we won’t get much to eat on the plane since it’s a short trip.” He tells you. You sigh and he hands you a box of food. You open it to find a taco salad with a container of sour cream and another of salsa. You grin and snap off a part of the crispy shell and pop it in your mouth. You dump the entire container of sour cream onto the taco and mix it in, then do the same for the salsa. You enjoy the taco salad and the two of you visit while you eat. He hands you a bottle of water out of his jacket pocket when you mention being thirsty and you thank him.

Soon enough they call for boarding the flight. You are getting tired now that you have a full belly and a warm body to lean against. You groan and Richard pulls you up. The two of you head to the gate and are directed to board for first class. You get settled in while Richard pops the two suitcases into the overhead bins. You both were careful to not take bigger suitcases so you could bypass having to put luggage in the belly of the planes. You tuck your carry on backpack under the seat in front of you while he does the same with his. He sits down next to you and you both buckle in and you lean against his side. He plays with your hair and you both talk quietly. 

Soon enough you are taking off and you feel the moment when the tires leave the airstrip and you groan knowing you’re on your way to the nightmare of funeral planning, but are glad you have Richard there for support and encouragement. You give his hand a squeeze and he brings it up to his lips and kisses it then gives it a squeeze and lowers it back onto his thigh. “Go to sleep, Sweetheart.” he tells you and you snuggle as best you can against him and fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Richard watched out the window as New York faded into the darkness. He looked down at your sleeping form nestled against him. He grinned and played with your hair. He was tired, but not enough to sleep. He knew this flight was going to be a short one, so he pulled out his phone and flagged down a stewardess. “Could you grab my bag out from under the seat? I don’t want to wake this one up.” he said quietly indicating to you asleep against him.

She smiled and nodded. She pulled out his bag and handed it to him. He dug his headphones out of the front pocket and then asked if she would put it back under the seat for him. She nodded and did so. “Anything else for you, Sir?” she asked. He ordered a drink and paid her for it and she came back a few minutes later with it in her hand. She lowered the tray for him and set it in the drink holder. He smiled and nodded his thanks as he listened to an audio book.

Richard sipped on his drink while he watched you sleep and listened to the audio book. It was poetry he was listening to and he grinned at how appropriate one of the poems was for how he felt about you. He made a mental note to write it down later.

Soon enough the pilot announced that you’d be landing in Minneapolis soon. He mentioned the time and Richard woke you up and pulled his watch off his wrist to re-set the time on it so it was for this timezone. Then he put it back on his wrist and chuckled as you sat there all bleary eyed and yawned. You looked at him sleepily and he thought you just looked adorable. Messy hair and all. He reached out and smoothed one of your braids that had been resting against his shoulder.

You rubbed your eyes and asked, “What time is it?” Richard grinned. “It’s around 9:30pm, Love. Come on, lets get ready to de-board and then we can go find our hotel rooms and you can go back to sleep.” he tells you.

You yawn again and he chuckles. Once the plane stopped in the terminal and you were given the go ahead to depart, the two of you quickly grabbed your bags and left the plane. You carried both yours and Richard’s backpacks, and he pulled both yours and his carry on suitcases behind him.

“What hotel are we at?” you ask him as he moves off to one side of the terminal. He texts his assistant and she sends him the hotel info with a smiley face afterward. “Element Bloomington Mall of America- room 701 - studio: 1 room, 2 queen beds. Figured you both were adult enough to handle it. Have fun! ;) “

He chuckles and shows you what she sent. You rubbed your face and groaned. “Well, at least there’s beds to sleep in.” you say with a yawn. “Lead on, oh chivalrous knight…” you tease him. He laughs and raises an eyebrow at you. You just grin and follow him as he heads over to a desk to ask about getting a shuttle to the hotel.

Soon enough the shuttle arrives and takes you two and your luggage to the hotel. You are given the keys and head up to the room. You get in the room and look around. “Which one do you want?” Rich asks you. You look and grab the one furthest from the window and plop your backpack on it. You plop his on the other bed. He grins and hands you your suitcase. You lift it up onto the bed and unzip it. You dig around and find a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and dig out your toothbrush and toothpaste from your toiletries bag. You take your stuff and head for the bathroom to change and get ready for bed.

Richard plops down on the sofa and takes out his phone. He texts the director letting him know you two made it to Minneapolis and are heading out in the morning to fly to Duluth then drive to meet her lawyer in some small town near the cabin.

The director calls and they talk for a little bit. He fills Richard in on how things are going for filming and the plans for getting him caught up with the scenes. He asks how you’re doing and tells Richard how many of the cast and crew are planning to attend the funeral once the date is set. Richard makes a note of it in his phone and then thanks the director for calling. You come out of the bathroom right as he was hanging up. Rich looks up at you and smiles.

He comes up to you and you grin back. “Everyone on set says to tell you “HI” and i’m supposed to give you a hug from them.” he tells you. You grin and he gives you a big hug. Then you look up at him and he chuckles.

“What?” You ask.

“You got a little something on your lip…” he says as he wipes off some toothpaste you missed. “…there. That’s better.” he says grinning at your beet red face. He chuckles and says he’s going to go get ready for bed too. Then goes to rinse off the toothpaste from his finger and comes back out to get his toothbrush and toothpaste as well as his pajamas. He heads into the bathroom and you move your luggage off the bed and plop down on the bed and immediately fall asleep.

Richard comes back out and finds you passed out on top of the bed and sheets. He laughs and goes to turn back the sheets on his bed. He picks you up and you snuggle into his neck. He lays you down in his bed so he can pull back the covers on yours.

Once he gets your bed turned down, he turns to pick you up and you’re curled up snuggling his pillow. He chuckles and picks you up and puts you in your bed, pillow and all. He covers you up and kisses your forehead good night and snags a pillow from your bed since you sagged one of his.

He heads to bed and sets the alarm on his phone for 6am. Your flight to Duluth was for 10:40am and he wanted to be sure you two had time for a decent breakfast.

He fell asleep listening to your breathing and had a smile on his face.

*********

The next morning you two took turns showering and getting ready in the bathroom. He still is amazed at how well you clean up and how pretty you look when you make an effort to dress up. You were in a dark skirt and leggings, with a black camisole and hunter green light weight sweater. You wore silver jewelry and a pretty necklace with an emerald hanging down off a dainty chain.

He suddenly realized you usually just wore jeans and a t-shirt or sweatshirt with messy hair bun or ponytail and no makeup or jewelry when you were on set. Then he remembered what you had said about not trying to attract men after being hurt and raped. He wondered if you were dressing up for him or if it was for another reason. He pondered the thought throughout the morning.

The two of you packed your stuff back into your suitcases and headed down to breakfast. Then the shuttle van took you both back to the airport and the two of you were off to Duluth.

You arrived in Duluth at around 11:30am. You two quickly found the rental company where Richard’s assistant had reserved an AWD SUV for you to use while there. Richard paid for the rental and they directed you to where to go to pick it up. You two loaded your luggage and he tosses you the keys since you know where to go.

You get in and head out. Richard asks you what the plans are for the day and you tell him that you are to meet with the lawyer, Allen, for a late lunch. You tell Richard it will take about an hour and 40 minutes to get to Deer River.

He looks out at the spring landscape as you drive. The trees were just starting to bud and there were a few spring flowers in bloom. You drove through several small towns and he was surprised at the landscape and the numerous lakes and ponds you drove past. You tell him that Minnesota is known as the land of 10,000 lakes and that most of them were formed from receding glaciers melting and dropping off huge chunks of ice that melted and formed the lakes he is seeing.

He asks you how you’re holding up. You glance at him and then back to the highway. You sigh and say, “I’m not sure. I guess it will hit me when we have to go id the bodies…” you frown, “to be honest, I’m not looking forward to these next few days. But I’m glad you came with me.” you tell him.

He holds your right hand as you steer with your left. You spot some deer along the side of the road and slow down. “Look!” you tell him and point to the deer. They look up and start heading for the road. You really slow down and they keep coming and make a mad dash across.”

Richard watches in amazement. “Good thing you spotted them and slowed down!” he said. You nodded.

“Oh, I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with them. They only have three thought processes… ‘Forage, forage, forage…chew, chew, chew…. or buddyyyyyy? (when they’re running),” you tell him. He laughs.

“It sounds funny now, but not when you hit one standing in the middle of the road or trying to run across it when you’re going 55 miles per hour. It can total a car in a second, and if the hooves hit the windshield, it can kill whoever is in the front seats!” Richard looks at you and stops laughing. “Oh, Wow!’ he says. You nod. "Moose are even worse!" you inform him. He frowns.

Richard helps you keep an eye out for deer and other wildlife after that. You even see a Moose and her calf and slow down to let them cross the highway. You both laugh at the calf as it appears to never have crossed a road before and doesn’t seem to like the feel of it on its hooves as it walks funny as it crosses.

******************

Soon enough you pull into Deer River and head for the ‘Outpost Bar and Grill’. You enter and Richard is looking around at the interior decorated like a hunting lodge with wooden log furniture and taxidermied animals. You find Allen, your family’s lawyer and he greets you and gives you a big hug. You introduce him to Richard and he grins.

“You played John Thornton in North and South, did you not?” he asks. Richard grins and nods, “Yes sir, I did.” Allen chuckles. “My wife loves that show. Made me buy it for her on DVD for Christmas last year.” he says with a grin. “Don’t worry, though, I won’t tell her you’re around.” he teases. Richard just chuckles and looks around admiring the interior of the bar.

“Can I get you anything?” The waitress asks as you three sit down at one of the larger tables. “Just some water for me, Masey.” Allen says. You look at the menu and order a Coke and cheese burger with fries. Richard orders a pot of Coffee and a BLT. “Masey, on second thought, I’ll take coffee and a side of sweet potato fries.” Allen says.

You three spend the next hour and a half going through the estate and funeral arrangements. You agree to go id the bodies tomorrow and meet with the funeral home your parents chose to use when that time came. He gave you the paperwork and letters stating you were the executive and heir of the estate and all finances were now yours.

He provided you with a list of all the banking and financial accounts, insurance policies, mortgage policies, and other such info and told you to contact them as soon as you get copies of the death certificates. He reminded you to get at least a dozen copies as most places require certified copies and not photocopies or faxes of them. He reminded you to contact the credit bureaus to notify them of your parents’ deaths to prevent identity theft and to request copies of their credit report.

Next he hands you a list of service providers to contact and see if your parents had any accounts with them. And he handed you a paper reminding you to contact government agencies like the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs since your father was a Vietnam Veteran.

Your head is spinning with stuff to do by the time you get done. Allen hands you and Richard each one of his business cards and tells you both to contact him if you have any questions or need any help. You nod and Allen flags down Masey and tells her that he’d like his tab please.

She brings it over and he pays her for his coffee and food. He gives you a hug and tells you he is sorry for your loss. You thank him and then sit back down. He shakes Richard’s hand and thanks him for coming with you to help you handle all this. Richard nods and thanks him for the info.

Richard sits back down and rubs your back after Allen leaves. “You ok, Sweetheart?” he asks quietly.

“No, Rich, I’m totally feeling overwhelmed.” you say quietly. He hums, “How bout we head to the cabin and you can relax for a while. We can’t do much until the bodies are identified and we have death certificates from the coroner’s office. So how bout we just go relax for a while, maybe sit in that hot tub you mentioned.” He says as he tips your head to look at him.

“Is there someplace we can get stuff for supper and some wine and whiskey?" he asks. You giggle and nod. You stand and pick up all the papers and Allen’s business card. Masie gives Richard the bill and he thanks her.

She looks at him for a minute then grins, she asks quietly, “Did you play Thorin?” he grins and nods but puts his finger to his lips. “Can you keep me being here a secret? I’m here to help my girlfriend deal with estate matters since her parents were killed in a car accident recently. We’d rather not have attention drawn to us being here.” he asks her. She nods and looks at you and takes your hand. "Were your parents Mr. & Mrs. (your last name)?” she asks. You nod.

“They were regulars here! We will miss them very much. The food drinks are on us today, and whenever you two want some food, it will be on us as well. We’re so sorry for your loss!” she tells you. “Would you mind meeting my parents? They own this place and would like to meet you. They were good friends with your parents.” she tells you. You look up at Richard and he puts his hand on your low back, smiles and nods.

“Come with me then.” Masie tells you both. You follow her with Richard right behind you. She leads you into the back office and calls for her parents. They come out of the office and kitchen and she introduces you and Richard to them. They give you a hug and tell you they are SO sorry about the accident and your loss.

They thank Richard for coming with you and ask if he would mind having a picture taken with you so they can keep it for the restarurant’s scrap book. They explain they like having photos taken with the regulars and families and that your parents talked about you all the time. Masie’s mom showed you the scrap book and pictures of your parents that they had and she said she would like to put one of you and Richard with these so they had the whole family.

You agreed and looked up at Richard. “Do you mind?” you ask. “If you don’t want to do the pic, it’s ok, I’ll understand.” you tell him. He chuckles. “I don’t mind, Sweetheart.” he turns to Masie’s parents. “All that I ask is that you don’t post it to social media and don’t tell anyone I am here with y/n. I am here to support and help her with this hard time and would rather not have the attention and focus on me.” he tells them. They agree and the two of you pose for the picture. Richard stands behind you with his arms around your waist obviously in love with you.

As you talk with Masie and her dad, Richard pulls Masie’s mom aside and asks her if he could get copies of the pictures of your parents and the one she took of the two of you just now. She happily agrees and goes to print them off for him. He rejoins you and the four of you talk for a few minutes. Masie’s mom comes back and hands Richard a small manilla envelope with the pictures in it as well as a larger one for you to put the papers from the attorney in. He thanks her and tucks the small one into his jacket. Then he takes the papers from you and puts them into the larger envelope. Then the two of you take your leave after Richard gives Masie a nice tip for her service. The two of you thank them for everything and then head out.

As the two of you walk to the SUV, you ask Rich what was in the small manilla envelope that Masie’s mom handed him. He just grins and says, you’ll see in a few days. You look at him and give him the stink eye. He just laughs and kisses your head. 

“What do you want for supper?” Richard asks you. You think for a minute then say, “How about something simple like steaks or spaghetti. I’m sure mom has plenty of food in the fridge and freezer. Let’s just stop and get the whiskey and wine and head to the cabin.’ you suggest. He grins and nods.

You drive over to a liquor store and the two of you head inside. Rich pulls his collar up and hopes his hat and jacket hide him enough to not be recognized. He didn’t think about being recognized in this small town community. The two of you find the Jameson Irish Whiskey and you’re pondering what size bottle to get.

You laugh when Richard comes walking over with the wine in his hand and reaches around you and grabs the biggest bottle of the Jameson whiskey. You look at him surprised and then laugh. “You really think I’m gonna drink ALL of that before we leave?” he just grins. “Never know when we may have company who might want some.” he smirks.

You shake your head laughing and the two of you head to the Cashier. Richard insists on paying for the drinks and the two of you head to the SUV. You both hop in and buckle up. You pull out of the parking lot and head for the cabin. 45 minutes later you arrive and park in the circle driveway.

Richard looks out the window and gives a low whistle. “This is your parent’s ‘cabin’?” he asks. You giggle and nod. Yup. He designed it and had it built here. It’s literally a log cabin…with amenities.” you giggle.

He chuckles and the two of you get out. You walk over to the door and reach up on tip toes looking for the hidden key. Richard looks at you for a minute then asks,” Would you like some help with that?” he asks. You turn and look at him and nod. “Yes, please, im a bit vertically challenged.”

He grins and walks over to you and, to your surprise, picks you up by the waist and hoists you up onto his shoulder. You squeal and he laughs. He walks up to the door and you can easily see where your dad tucked the spare key. You grab it and tell Richard, “Ok. got it, you can set me down now.” he grins and tells you to hand him the key. You do and he unlocks the door, then hands you the key again. You tuck it back in its hiding spot and he opens the door. Then tells you to duck, which you do, and he walks through the doorway and looks around. You squirm to be put down and he obliges.

You flip on the lights and look around. "Mommmmm...." you start to say out of habit...and then it hits you, and you turn to look back at Richard and you crumple to the floor in tears. He rushes over and holds you. You both sit there for a few minutes as you cry…hard…He just holds you and rubs your back and pets your head while murmuring that it’s ok. Wiping his own tears from his face.

Finally you stop crying. “It’s so hard to be in here and not see them. Not hearing Mom holler out, “Y/n…is that you?” when we came in…” you say.

“I know, sweetheart. I still expect to hear my mom say something along the same lines when I go to their home to visit.” Richard tells you.

He helps you up. “Come on. Let’s get unpacked, make some dinner and then go sit in the hot tub with a glass of wine and a glass of Jameson.” he suggests.

You nod and the two of you head out to the SUV. You get it unloaded and lock the doors, then haul everything into the entry way and you close and lock the cabin door.

You show Richard around the cabin and then up to the bedrooms. You show him the guest bedroom and then where yours is. You let him come in and admire your room while you unpack. He looks at all your certificates and awards from school and your artwork and your bookcase. He grins when he sees you have a queen size bed. “So do you have satin sheets on this one too?” he teases.

You look at him surprised. “How do you know about my satin sheets?” you ask. He grins…”The first night at your apartment when you fell asleep on me while we watched ‘Guys and Dolls’ I carried you to your room and put you in your bed, remember? You had silver satin sheets on it.” he smirked.

You face palmed and groaned. “Ugh! I totally forgot about that! Too much alcohol that night!” you say and he laughs. Richard smirks and goes to peek to see what’s under the comforter. You watch in amusement when he just finds regular cotton sheets. He looks up at you and pouts, “And here I thought you’d have satin ones here too.” he teases.

You groan. He stands and wraps you in a bear hug. “I’m just teasing you, Love.” he says as he gives your forehead a kiss. “Come on and lets go see what we can make for supper.”

You grin and follow him down stairs. Him holding your hand as you walk through the cabin. You lead him to the kitchen and the two of you dig through the fridge and freezer. You come across some defrosted steaks. You unwrap them and they look and smell ok. “Do we risk it? I have no idea when they put these in the fridge to defrost.” Richard thinks for a minute, “Well, they’ve only been gone for what, three days? So if they took them out the morning of the accident or even the day before, they should still be safe to eat. Let me see them.” Richard says.

You hand them to him and he looks at them and smells them. “I think they’re fine.” he says with a shrug. Is there a grill around here somewhere that we can cook these on? You nod and show him over to the door on the kitchen wall that opens onto a deck overlooking the lake. The sun is setting and is painting the sky and lake with beautiful pinks, purples, oranges and blues. You both stand there stunned by the beautiful colors. Once the colors fade you show Richard how to work the grill. He grins and the two of you head back inside while the grill heats up.

Richard digs around in the cabinets until he finds the spices he wants and he seasons the steaks. “How do you like your steak cooked again?” he asks you. You tell him Medium well. He groans. “So charcoal.” he teases. You swat him and say, “Just cook it so there’s no pink in the middle. I prefer my cows cooked, and not mooing.” You tease back. He laughs again and heads out with the steaks on a plate. He comes back in a few minutes later with the plate and washes it in the sink then sets it in the drying rack.

You’re busy making a garden salad and found a package of crescent rolls that you’re rolling out and placing on a cookie sheet. He comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist and watches you as you work.

You smile and ask him to turn the oven on to 325 degrees F. He turns and flips on the oven and sets the temp then turns back and holds your waist again. He peppers your neck with soft kisses and tells you that you looked beautiful today. You blush bright red and giggle.

“How come you didn’t dress like this when you were on set?” he asks you as you mixed the veggies into the salad.

You pause and think. “I guess cuz i felt worthless and thought that no one would want me after what I have been through. I just wanted to hide and do my job and be invisible to most people. But Shannon and Stacie somehow slipped through my chinks in the wall I hid behind for so long, and weaseled their way into my life.They wouldn’t let me be ‘Miss invisible’ anymore. I guess they started to bring me out of my shell and got me back into the real world.” you tell Richard.

“I never expected to make the friends I have on this job. I miss them, but am glad I have you here to keep me going and to be with me.” you tell him as he gives your waist a squeeze and peppers your neck with more kisses.

“I’m glad I’m here too, Y/n. You’re such a treasure to have in my life. I’m so much happier when you’re around me. Even when your just leaning against me sleeping or across the room from me re-doing the set after each take. Everyone on set says you brightened their days with your kindness and your smile and your happy-go-lucky attitude.” he tells you.

Just then the timer on Richard’s phone goes off and he grins. “Time to go flip the cows on the grill. Where’s the tongs?” he asks as you bust out laughing.

You dig around in the drawers and find the tongs for the grill. You hand them to him and the meat thermometer. He thanks you and he heads out to the grill.

You think about what Richard just told you. How did you fail so miserably at being invisible with this job? How is it that all those people you work with each day on set were able to see through the walls you had spent so long successfully hiding behind? You looked over to the windows and watched Richard through the window. He was smiling and his eyes twinkled. He made you feel loved and safe and wanted. You sighed and went back to working on the salad lost in thought, you didn’t hear Richard come back in.

“Sweetheart, do you want anything with the steaks besides the salad and crescent rolls?” he asks you. When you don’t answer, he looks at you and sees you’re lost in thought. He comes up to you and takes the knife out of your hand and you startle.

“I didn’t want you to cut yourself.” he tells you as he holds your hands. “Oh!” you say as you look up at him. “I’m sorry, I guess I was lost in my thoughts.” you apologize. “Did you say something to me?” you ask.

Richard chuckles and says, “I thought so. I asked if you wanted anything with the cows besides rabbit food and crescent rolls.” he says with a tilted head and smirk.

You chuckle and go to dig around in the fridge again after popping the crescent rolls into the preheated oven and setting the timer. Richard comes up behind you and holds your waist and nibbles on your neck and shoulder. You giggle, “Richard, how am I going to get supper on the table if you keep nibbling on my neck and distracting me?” you ask.

He just chuckles and says, “Well, I guess I will just have to nibble on you for the appetizer and that will have to last me till supper is ready.” he teases and gives you a little nip on your neck then soothes it with a kiss. You laugh and look up at him. He grins at you with the same grin he used when filming Guy of Gisborne. You grin back and chuckle, then go back to digging in the fridge to see what your mother had in there.

“What was that look for?” he whispers once you start digging in the fridge again. You chuckle. “That grin you were giving me reminded me of the one you used for Guy of Gisborne when he would deal with a feisty Marian.” you inform him as you find an expired container of potato salad and toss it onto the counter above the garbage to throw out when you got done raiding the fridge.

He laughs and squeezes your waist. “Are you going to be my Marian?” he asks.

You smirk. “No, I’ll be your y/n.” you tell him. "Besides, Guy killed Marian at the end of the show, and she ended up as a ghost with Robin anyway. I’d rather be alive and yours and not have to have to deal with a love triangle.” you inform him looking over your shoulder from the fridge with a wicked grin. He growls and wraps you in a huge hug and whispers into your ear…”MINE!” and then kisses you silly. Making you laugh so hard you have tears running down your face.


End file.
